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Monday, January 23, 2012

Garden Designers' Round Table: Reality Check!

I've had Georgia on my mind . . .

. . . Georgia O'Keefe, that is! Georgia O'Keefe was an important American Modernist who created lush, colorful paintings of flowers, landscapes, and found objects. Her large canvases are often an ode to just one small detail of the subject matter - which is fine for a piece of art - but doesn't work at all in the garden. The reality is that a successful landscape is the sum of its parts. It's easy to get caught up in the fun and excitement of creating a new landscape or garden - the colors! the textures! the fragrance! - and get distracted by these "shiny things" without enough thought or planning given to the big picture. A successful landscape depends on a logical series of steps that are
important in and of themselves, and that build upon one another to
create a cohesive whole. How does one achieve that perfect whole, that successful landscape that complements your lifestyle and expresses your personal aesthetic? The reality is that gardens take time and money.

Spend the time and money necessary to create a comprehensive plan for your landscape:

Know your budget - what are you willing and able to spend now and in the future?

Know your site - what are the opportunities and challenges presented?

Know your lifestyle - how will you use your outdoor space?

Know your capabilities - what are you willing and able to physically do - or pay others to do - to implement and maintain your landscape?

Pay for the professional services necessary to make your dream an action oriented goal. A plat survey, landscape design, soil or water testing, etc.

Spend the time and money necessary to implement the design for your landscape:

Know the correct sequence of events that is necessary to build a solid and sustainable project. Don't omit or leap-frog around them.

Know that proper preparation - often unseen in the finished project - is essential to the finished outcome.

Pay for the best quality materials that you can afford.

Pay for the best professional craftsmanship that you can afford.

Spend the time and money necessary to maintain your landscape:

Know that your plantings will take time to mature and to reach their full potential.

Know that your hardscape will weather and deteriorate with time.

Pay to keep your plants vigorous and healthy.

Pay to keep your hardscape beautiful, safe and functional.

The reality is that gardens take time and money and attention to detail.Thanks for the reminder, Georgia!

I see other people have commented on your reminder to "Spend the time and money necessary to maintain your landscape," but it's such a good point. Maintenance is often overlooked, and then the money spent on a beautiful design is essentially wasted as the garden deteriorates without a thoughtful and appropriate maintenance plan.

I'm drooling over your photos. And then there's the content...you hit the center of the bullseye.

All the thought, time and money to do each element right...yes! Somehow we need to connect the process of a Georgia O'Keefe commission, and transform the process of a typical design commission. She performed her art, then went out and sold it, right? I wonder how we can work more on such an unhurried, methodical and thoughtful way, given we have a larger canvass owned by someone else? Hmmm...

Susan C. - We are so often in tune (although my synonym for "rant" is "soapbox")!

Robert - I'm a pretty well balanced right brain/left brain person. My designs mus make sense!

Pam, the maintenance issue is the elephant in the room. Nobody wants to plan for it, but the reality is that everything needs care sooner or later!

Helen, thanks so much for stopping by! Time to plan, time to execute, time to maintain, time to mature. Abstract, but oh-so-important!

Thank you, Susan M! The more we work, the more understanding we have to pass on to our clients.

David, great point. As designers we're often forced into a "hurry up" mode. One can't turn creativity on with a switch, and research and attention to details take time - even for an experienced designer. Glad you enjoyed the photos!

This is the thorough discussion we each should be having with our clients prior to every project! Any advice on how to get them to "see the forest for the trees"? ;-) Great advice, and like Susan M. stated, I also need to revisit client documents.